Shoe tray



Sept. 29, 1925. 1,554,990

F. H. CRAINE ET AL SHOE TRAY Filed April 23. 1925 fiww INVENTOR.

F16. 6 X fiQ' @W ATTORNEY. 1

Patented Sept. 29,1925.

UNITED STATES FRANK n. caamn, or nnanronn',

AND JAMES C. SENEY, OF OHUSETTS.

SHOE TRAY.

Application filed April 23,1925. Serial Ito. 25,425.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, FRANK H. CRAINn andJAMES C. SENEr, citizens of the United States, residing at Bradford andLawrence, respectively, in the county of Essex and State ofMassachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in ShoeTrays, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to t-rays'especially adapted for use during theprocesses of manufacturing shoes.

In the ordinary shoe factories where modern machinery is used there area great many processes, and each shoe is handled by a large number ofoperatives. Shoes ordinarily are handled in pairs of the same style andsize, and these pairs should not be separated. If one shoe of a' pair isdamaged great inconvenience is caused.

After the various parts are cut out they are assembled on a last, andsome of the parts are temporarily held in place by tacks which project.As the material of the. uppers in many classes of shoes is delicateleather or fabric, it is easily injured if it comes in contact with thetacks.

It is also easily injured if it comes in contact with dirt, oil, stains,or many other things.

In being taken from one process to the next, very often a large numberof shoes are placed on a rack supported by wheels, the shelves of therack usually being made of bars so that any dirt can fallthrough, and sothat the air can circulate so as to dry the shoes.

Where the partly finished shoes are laid side by side on these shelveswithout protection they are likely to be scratched and injured, and toprotect them from any oil or stains on the bars during some processespapers are placed on the bars to protect the shoes. In some factorieseach shoe is partially wrapped in paper to protect it, and in stillother factories an individual box for each shoe is used. v

The purpose of this invention is to provide a convenient tray in which adozen shoes, more or less, can be held and carried around in such mannerthat theycannot readily be scratched by tacks nor injured by dirt, oilor stains.

Other objects are to provide a tray in which the air can circulate inorder to dry the shoes after certain of the processes, and one 1n whichthere are a standard number of openings each to receive a shoe wherebythe operator can tell at a glance that he has the right number of shoes,and that all are in place.

Another important purpose is to provide, a tray which can be placed onthe workmans bench and from which he can instantly, without lost motion,remove a shoe and replace it.

In the drawings, Fig. 1 is an isometric yiew of a shoe rack, on oneshelf of which is one of our trays, and on another shelf of which looseshoes are shown as placed.

Fig. 2 is a perspective of one end of one of our trays.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of a tray with a shoe in place. This ispartly in section.

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of a tray with one shoe in position, and theother guide openlngs empty. i

Fig. 5 is a plan view of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a perspective showing a modified type of guide openings.

Fig. 7 is a detail showing a modification of the guide edges of the topshoe guides.

Fig. 8 is a detail of another modification.

A represents a shoe rack of a common type found in shoe factories, madeup of four uprights, 9, 10, 11, 12, each supported by a wheel 8, andbetween which are the skeleton shelves 13, 14, 15, 16. These shelves areusually formed of parallel bars 17 which extend from end to end andallow any dirt or waste to fall through on to the floor. 18 and 19 reresent the cross pieces which support thes elves, and what I will callthe sides. The front and back, or the long sides of these racks aregenerally open.

In Fig. 1 at 20 we show how shoes in the process of manufacture, eitherwhen on the last or after the last is removed are ordinarily placed uponthese shelves to be transported from one process to the next, or fromone department to another.

Our present invention is shown at B and consists of a tray having nobottom, but having the front and the-top walls so cut that the edgesmake shoe guides whereby the shoes in process, whether on the last orotherwise, will be kept firmly in place, and without touching each otherwhile the trays are being moved by hand, or (re moved with he c mwnnncn,MASSA- Each tray B is preferably formed 'of heavy cardboard so treatedthat it is substantially waterproof; of fiber, thin laminated wood, orany material except metal, which will not mark the shoes. It may becovered with clothas shown at 72 in Fig. 7 or if made of the abovematerials such covering is unnecessar Each tray has si es and 31, and aback 33 which are ordinarily not cut. a We prefer that the front 32should be higher than the back 33 so that the tendency of the shoes willbe to'slide towards the back when placed in the guide openings 40, 41.

To form a guide opening in the front wall 32 we cut away at 41 so thatthe width of the cut at the bottom is less than it is at the top andthis cut extends down to the line 42, which preferably is at about theposition occupied by the lowest edge 51 of the shoe, and a little abovethat part of the last L which projects from the shoe. In this way, asshown in Fig. 3, when the shoe is in position it cannot readily slip outfrom the front.

To form the shoe guides in the top wall 34 we cut away at 40 in such away as to conform with the shape of the shoe to be handled and so thatthe back end 43 will just about coincide with the throat 53 of a shoe Swhich is placed in the openin This opening 40 is narrower at the bacthan it is at thefront.

A shoe such as S on a last L, having a heel 50, top edge 51, sole 52 andtoe 54, to-

gether with throat 53, can be instantly dropped into a shoe guldeotpening such as 40, 41, and will stay there rmly in position. As thetray is handled or moved the shoe merely sinks more firmly into place,and will not drop out.

Moreover any tacks, or other foreign matter which may drop on the top 34of the tray, will shake off at the back because the top slopes from thefront to the back and will fall entirely clear of the rack and thetrays. If anything falls throu h or between the trays it will also reacht e ground for the same reason.

82 may extend over the edges 80 and 81 of a metal top plate 83.

As shown in Fig. 6, we may use a tray having a front wall 62 with cutawayparts 64 which grow steadily wider from the bottom to the top, and atop wall 60 having cut away parts 63 which register with those at 64 inthe front, wall, and are narrower at the back.

We claim:

1. A shoe tray having ends, a back wall and a frontwall which is higherthan the back wall and having cut down from its upper edge cut awayparts forming shoe guides, which are wider at the top than at thebottom, and a top wall having cut away parts forming shoe guides whichregister with those in the front wall and are narrower at the back.

2. A shoe tray having ends, a back wall and a front wall which is higherthan the back wall and having out down from its upper edge cut awayparts forming shoe guides, which are wider at the top than at thebottom, and a top wall having cut away parts forming shoe guides whichregister with those in the front wall.

3. In a shoe tray having no bottom, the combination of a front wallhaving cut. away parts forming shoe guides which are wider at the topthan at the bottom, and a top wall having. cut away parts forming shoeguides which register with those in the front wall and are narrower atthe back.

4. In a shoe tray, having no bottom, the combination of a front wallhaving cut away parts forming shoe ides, which are wider at the top thanat t e bottom, and a top wall having cut away parts forming shoe guideswhich register with those in the front wall.

FRANK H. CRAINE. JAMES C. SENEY.

